Green Sasquatch
by SandwichesHinderProgress
Summary: Over four months after becoming The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner is on the run in Canada, where he discovers a curse. After news of his sighting spreads, the X-Men decide to investigate.
1. Lonely Man Walking

Friday May 26, 2006

Days Without Incident: 105

Doctor Bruce Banner was a lonely man walking. For over four months, he had been on the run from the United States military, which only perceived him as the monster that they made him. They were led by the father of the woman he loved, Betty Ross. Over three months had passed since he attempted to contact her. The interception of his message was followed by a fight against State Troopers.

He had traveled through the Dakotas and was now in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. A cold afternoon wind was blowing through the woods of the wilderness. At length, he spotted a cabin. He needed a place to stay. He walked up to the cabin door and knocked. A man answered.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"I'm looking for a place to stay for the night," Bruce answered.

"I don't know if I can trust a stranger."

"I can pay you for the night. Just one night and I'll be gone. I have my own food with me."

"Is there anyone else with you?"

Bruce sighed.

"No."

"You seem like such a sad, lonely man. I'll accept your offer. Come on in."

"Thank you."

"What might your name be?"

"Bob Danner," Bruce lied. "Yours?"

"Paul."

"Nice to meet you, Paul. Once again, I cannot thank you enough."

"Maybe you can share a bit of that food you brought as another form of payment. We'll see."

Bruce had an enjoyable dinner with Paul that evening. They ate a couple of sandwiches and fruit which Bruce had. He was wondering what the man's background was, but he feared that asking would give Paul the right to ask about him. He did not wish to reveal any personal details. As it turned out, however, Paul began to speak.

"Have you ever been hunting?" Paul asked.

"No," Bruce said, believing that this was an odd question. "You?"

"Yes. I enjoy hunting in the woods. It's a great place to get all sorts of meat to eat."

Bruce heard Paul's stomach growl.

"You still hungry?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," Paul answered. "You must be some sort of mind-reader."

"No. I'm not psychic."

"Of course not. It was just an expression. You'd have to be a mutant to be able to read minds. And you're not one of them."

Bruce assumed that Paul was against mutants. He sacrificed his beliefs by trying to appeal to Paul.

"Of course not. Mutants are freaks."

"Some people would go as far to say that they are monsters. But those people don't know what _real_ monsters are. With mutants, it's a genetic thing. But real monsters are cursed. They have no control over their actions once they make their transformations."

Bruce started to feel uncomfortable. He began to form suspicions that Paul was perhaps a mutant who could read minds.

_Does he know that I'm the Hulk?_ he wondered. _I am __innocent_.

Bruce filled his mind with thoughts of who he was before he became the Hulk and the problems which he endured afterward. He did this so that Paul would know for sure that he was a good man. That is, if Paul was indeed a mind-reader.

"You look like you're thinking too much," Paul said. "It's getting dark outside. I think it's time for you to get some sleep."

"Okay," Bruce agreed, pulling a bedroll out of his bag.


	2. Cursed

Saturday May 27, 2006

Paul had walked off to his room and closed his door. Bruce had trouble trying to sleep. It was past midnight when he had a nightmare in which he drove a car with his girlfriend Betty Ross in the passenger seat. The car fell over, and Bruce started turning into the Hulk. It appeared that he was about to kill Betty. He awoke with a gasp. His heart was racing. He calmed himself so that he would not turn into the Hulk. When he was calm, he looked around.

He could not help but think that Paul was up to something. After a little while, he stood up and walked around the cabin. He looked in the kitchen and noticed the fridge. He walked quietly over to it, curious about its contents. He wondered if Paul was indeed low on food. He opened the fridge and noticed that the only thing left inside was a bag filled with meat and a jar behind it. Upon close examination, he noticed that there was a pair of human kidneys. He moved the bag out of the way and noticed a jar with a human head.

Bruce's heart began to race. He turned around and felt a stab in his abdomen. He could see Paul pulling a knife out of his flesh. As Bruce fell to the floor, Paul began to lick the blood off of the knife. Bruce looked at Paul's feet and noticed that he was only wearing his socks.

_No shoes_, he thought. _That's how he snuck up on me_.

"I see that you came down for a midnight snack," Paul said with a smile. "So did I."

"You're...sick!" Bruce exclaimed.

"Not sick," Paul explained. "Cursed! You'll be next on my menu."

"Cannibal..." Bruce said, trying to sit himself up.

"I do admire your courage. I think I'll eat your heart."

_My heart!_ Bruce thought. _It's beating fast!_

Paul walked closer to Bruce, holding the knife. He stopped for a moment and examined Bruce's face.

"Your eyes are turning green..."

It was happening. Bruce Banner was becoming the Hulk. Muscles in his body started to expand as his skin turned green. Green blood was coming out of his abdomen and mixing with the red blood on the floor that had come out of him previously. The fully expanded muscles tore through the shirt of Bruce Banner, who was no longer present at the moment. He had been replaced by the eight-feet-tall Hulk, which let out a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"


	3. The Hulk vs The Wendigo

Paul took the bag of meat out of the fridge as quickly as he could. The Hulk picked him up from the collar with one hand and threw him against the wall of the kitchen. Paul dropped the ziplock bag, which was now open.

"I see that you are a monster," Paul said. "I bet that Bob Danner isn't even your real name. Since we are exposing our true colors now, yours being green, I should be honest and let you know that I, Paul Cartier, am also a monster..."

Paul reached into the bag and took a bite of the human meat. His eyes turned red. White fur started to cover his body, which was growing so large that all of his clothes tore apart. He became a naked beast with a tail and a mane, both of which were the same color as the rest of its body. This creature was about the same size as the Hulk. The Hulk stood in shock.

"Bring it on, Yeti," the Hulk said.

"Not Yeti," the white creature said. "_Wendigo_!"

"Hulk!" the Hulk said, pointing to himself. "Smash!"

The Hulk ran towards the Wendigo. It stood where it was and grappled with the Hulk. The Wendigo's strength did not have the limits of a normal human body, nor that of any animal that Bruce had ever encountered in his life. The Wendigo pushed the Hulk backward, causing the Hulk to fall to the cabin's floor, breaking it. The Wendigo jumped on top of the Hulk's torso and started clawing. Cuts were formed on the Hulk's chest. The Hulk grabbed the Wendigo's foot and squeezed it tightly, causing the Wendigo to scream. He kicked the Wendigo's torso with his foot, causing the creature to fall backward and create a large hole in the wall.

The Hulk pushed the Wendigo out through the hole, causing it to roll down the icy hill and into the woods. The Hulk pulled two large planks of wood off of the cabin walls and followed the Wendigo into the woods. The Hulk examined the environment, only seeing trees around him. He clapped the two planks together, signaling that he was challenging the creature. He heard a snarl above him and saw the Wendigo on the branch of a tree. He threw the planks at it, but the Wendigo managed the catch them and throw them back down, hitting the Hulk. The Hulk retaliated by punching hard enough through the tree to make it fall. The Wendigo jumped off of the tree as it fell and rolled out of the way. It shook the ice off of its fur and retreated further away from the Hulk. The Hulk ran, continuing to pursue the monster until the reached a small Canadian settlement.

The two of them battled outside of a house under the night sky. The Hulk stomped on the Wendigo's foot with his own enormous foot. The Wendigo retaliated by turning and slapping the Hulk's face with its tail. It then punched the Hulk in its chest and pushed it onto the ground. It stood on top of the Hulk once more, clawing into its skin with the claws of its feet.

"My curse is superior to yours!" the Wendigo said.

The Wendigo turned its head when it heard the door to the house creaking open. It retreated into the woods with all the speed that it could muster. The Hulk stood up and looked to the side. The door opened all the way, revealing a man who appeared to be in his twenties.

"Holy shit!" the man said, examining the Hulk's large feet. "Sasquatch!"

The Hulk, feeling insulted, let out a loud roar.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" the Hulk uttered.

"Police!" the man screamed as he went back inside.

The Hulk ignored the terrified local and went back into the woods.


	4. Thunderbolt

In a military base in New York, General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross paced around restlessly, constantly thinking about the Hulk. He had reached news of a possible Hulk sighting via satellite. He looked at the image which one of his subordinates presented to him. It was nighttime in the photo, but he could make out the shape of a superhuman.

"That's him all right," Ross said.

"What should we do?" one of the soldiers asked.

"I'll tell you what we should do," the general said. "We should strike as soon as we can. I don't want that thing to be anywhere near my daughter, or anyone else for that matter. Everyone should get ready. We're going to Canada, boys. Prepare all the weapons and artillery."

General Ross had been searching for the Hulk for four and a half months. Bruce Banner had undergone a gamma radiation experiment as part of the Bio Force Enhancement Project, which Ross had supported. He had dreamed of recreating the Super-Soldier Captain America. In his opinion, and in the opinion of many others, Steve Rogers had been the greatest soldier of World War II. He was perhaps even the greatest soldier in the history of the United States of America.

However, the experiment had yielded disastrous results. Bruce Banner, the man who was dating the general's daughter, had turned into a dangerous, hulking figure. Ross did not want him to have anything to do with his daughter because he believed that he would endanger her. His daughter did not approve of what he did, but he had tried justifying his actions. He still dreamed of creating Super-Soldiers. Since the knowledge of how to create such a soldier had died with Doctor Abraham Erskine, the military's remaining option was to capture Banner and extract his blood for further experimentation.

"I will find you, Banner," Ross said to himself. "I will strike you like a bolt of lightning created by Thor Almighty."


	5. Endangered

Bruce Banner woke up in the middle of the woods, wearing only his pants. He wrapped his arms around himself to shield himself from the chilly weather. He looked around, checking to see if he was alone. He tried to remember what had happened during the preceding hours. All that he could remember after being stabbed was the horrific face of a red-eyed monster. He got up and ran in a random direction, panting as he ran. He slowed down every once in a while to slow down his heart-rate.

As dawn arrived, he emerged from the woods and entered the settlement which the Hulk had been in hours earlier, as evidenced by large footprints in the snow. He hid behind bushes and watched a journalist interview a local resident.

"What is your name?" the journalist asked.

"Christopher Sanchez," the man said.

"What exactly did you see last night?" the journalist asked. "What made these footprints."

"The best way that I can describe it is that it is 'Green Sasquatch.' Just look at the footprints. What else could have feet that big?"

"Did _all_ of these footprints come from this 'Green Sasquatch' that you saw?"_  
_

"It was dark, but I definitely did not see anything else. What I could tell, thanks to the moonlight, is that it _was_ in fact green."

"Where did it go?"

"I think it might have gone back into the wilderness. That thing is out there, and we should all be careful."

Bruce could not listen to any more of the interview. He was worried that he might expose himself to both the residents and the cold weather. He stealthily walked to the nearest clothing store. He reached into his pockets. Luckily, he had kept his wallet. He had required Canadian currency weeks earlier. He looked around until he found boots, a shirt, and a warm-looking jacket that had a hood. He walked up to the cashier and payed for his clothes.

"How did you lose your clothes?" the cashier asked.

"I got drunk last night," Bruce lied.

"Yeah," the cashier said, trying not to laugh. "That's how it always happens. You sound American. Did you come to Canada for the beer?"

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind."

Bruce walked out of the store and walked away from the town. The disgusting sight of human flesh was too much for him. He did not feel like eating at the moment. He was too scared to return to the cabin and retrieve the rest of his belongings. He would have to start out fresh. The thought of encountering the monster from the previous night terrified him. He decided not to hitch-hike because he feared that one of the drivers could be Paul.

_I've got to get as far away from this place as I can,_ Bruce thought. _No doubt that General Ross will hear about all this_.

He had thought of trying to stop the journalist from printing the story, but it was too risky. In either case, Sanchez's story was out there, and no humane action would stop him from spreading it.


	6. Detected

Within the X-Mansion of North Salem was a student-body comprised of mutants. The head of this educational institute was Professor Charles Xavier, a seventy-four-year-old mutant with telepathic powers. One year earlier, his mind had been transferred to the body of his brain-dead twin brother after his original body was destroyed by the Dark Phoenix Force that had taken over Jean Grey, one of his students. She had killed her boyfriend Scott Summers, a mutant who could shoot laser beams from his eyes.

The death of the evil force was followed by certain mutants' acceptance of a cure. One of Xavier's students, Rogue, a mutant who could absorb the powers of other mutants, had taken the cure, but is effects were not permanent. Doctor Henry "Hank" McCoy, a blue-furred mutant with large hands, large feet, and a tail, had examined her blood since then, wondering if the cure was temporary with all mutants. The professor, meanwhile, had been walking about, continuing his support for his fellow mutants. He had wondered if his former colleague, Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto, had regained his power to control metal. Magneto had disappeared. Xavier did not try looking for him because he had no reason to believe that he was currently a threat.

On this morning, Hank McCoy read an article in the Daily Bugle titled "Green Sasquatch: Canada's Menace." He walked up to the professor's room and showed it to him.

"Have you seen this?" Hank asked, allowing Charles to read the article. "What do you think? Another mutant?"

"There is only one way to find out," Charles said, walking out of his room.

Hank followed Charles down a hallway to a room that contained Cerebro, a machine which the professor used to detect mutants all over the world. Hank assisted the professor in putting on the device which he needed to wear on his head. Charles used his mind to search all over Canada for the "Green Sasquatch" which had been described by the media.

"I cannot detect any mutants that fit the description," Charles said. "However, I do detect a human near the sighting who appears to be in cognito."

"So it is not a mutant?"

"I do not believe that it was his genetics that made him what they saw. I believe that it might have been the result of some sort of experiment gone wrong."

"I sure know how that feels."

"You feel that we should help him because he may be like you."

"Was it really necessary to read my mind, Charles? We have been friends for over forty years, and I have been honest with you."

"I did not need to read your mind, Hank. I _know_ you."

"It's just degrading. The way some people cannot understand."

"We will first have to see what type of man he is. We should gather some of the other X-Men for this particular mission. I am sure that Logan will be willing to return to his homeland. We could also bring Ororo. Since it is the weekend, we will not need to worry about canceling any lectures. I could ask our old friend Sean to stay here and watch everyone."

"We should also bring Bobby Drake. He has mastered his powers, and he could have an advantage in an icy environment against anyone who may be after this man."

"I agree."


	7. Infiltration

General Ross and his men arrived at the cabin where the Hulk had appeared the previous night. It was late-afternoon, and the cabin was surrounded by tanks. General Ross was in a helicopter hovering above. Soldiers surrounded the perimeter and approached the building. One group barged through the door while another group went around and the back and entered through the hole in the wall cautiously. They searched all around the cabin.

"Banner was here, sir," one of the soldiers said said through a walkie-talkie. "But he's gone. There's nobody here anymore. We did find something though, and it's not pretty."

"Land the chopper," Ross ordered the pilot.

The helicopter landed, allowing General Ross to walk out. He walked into the cabin and towards the area to which the soldiers pointed. He went into the kitchen and saw the bag of human organs on the floor and the jar containing a human head on the fridge.

"Jesus," Ross said.

"There's a bite mark," one of the soldiers said. "We could check for fingerprints on the bag and the jar. Maybe identify who this victim was. There's also some green blood on the floor."

Ross thought about salvaging Bruce's blood. But then it occurred to him that if they were able to replicate it, maybe it would make soldiers cannibalistic like he believed Banner to be from what he had just seen.

"Take the head and the meat," Ross said. "Destroy everything else. Banner's blood is worthless now. He is a menace."

"Are you sure that Bruce Banner did all this?" another soldier asked. "I never figured that he was the cannibalistic type."

"Once you become a monster, you can never go back. You can only go forward. He seems to have added human flesh to his diet. No soldier of mine will become a monster like that. Burn this whole cabin to the ground."

"And then what?"

"What do you think? We're gonna keep looking for Banner, and we're gonna kill him."

Ross's soldiers made sure that every inch of the cabin caught on fire. Not even Bruce Banner's blood could be salvaged. The soldiers began combing through the woods, where they came across the tree that had been knocked down by the Hulk.

"Looks like he came here to blow off some steam," one of the soldiers said.

The task force emerged from the woods and entered the town nearby, bewildering residents. They asked the residents if they had seen anything peculiar, and all of the answers made some mention of the "Green Sasquatch" which had appeared the previous night. Ross walked into a clothing store, believing that Banner would have needed clothes after his incident.

"Have you had any unusual customers today?" Ross asked.

"Unusual how?" the cashier asked.

"Have you seen anyone walk in here with just pants?"

"Yeah. He bought a shirt, a jacket, and boots."

"Do you know where he might have gone?"

"I saw him walk out, but I don't know which way he went. I don't think he had a car."

"Then there's a chance we can find him quickly as long as he's not hitchhiking."

As Ross exited the store, an old man with white hair and dark glasses walked up to him.

"Let Sasquatch be!" the old man said. "Just leave him alone so he can be peaceful in the wilderness. He has feelings like the rest of us. Have you ever seen _Frankenstein_?"

"This thing is worse than Frankenstein's monster," Ross said. "If he lives, there will never be peace."


	8. Ahead

McCoy piloted the X-Jet northward. He was sporting the blue and yellow suit which he had worn back in the day. The other four mutants aboard the jet were wearing similar outfits.

"This brings back some good memories," Xavier said.

"Remind me again why we have to wear these ridiculous suits," Logan said.

"We do not want to appear to threatening when we find this man," McCoy explained. "He is probably being tracked by government agents who normally wear dark clothing. Please have respect for the suits. I designed them myself just as I designed Blackbird and the original Cerebro."

"I like these suits," Ororo said.

"You should put on your mask, Logan," Bobby said. "It could get chilly out there. You wouldn't wanna get ice in your beard."

"Don't go lecturing me about ice, bub. I used to live here, remember?"

Logan put on the mask that matched his outfit. He looked in a mirror.

"Wow," Bobby said.

"I know," Logan said. "Doesn't look so bad now."

"I knew you''d like it," McCoy said.

"So what does this guy look like, anyway."

"Though he may be thin when he is normal, he can also become a large, green, hulking human," Xavier explained.

"Oh boy," Logan said.

"Are you scared?" Bobby asked.

"Not one bit," Logan replied. "Getting this guy should be a piece of cake."

"Look down there," Ororo said, looking out the window.

The mutants looked at what was below them: military vehicles.

"Fly ahead of them, Hank," Xavier said. "But don't be conspicuous."

"Don't worry," McCoy said. "They won't even know that we are near."

McCoy flew the X-Jet a distance to the side and then flew north of where the military vehicles were heading.

"Land down there," Xavier said as he pointed at a clearing by a lake within a forest.

McCoy did as Xavier commanded and landed the X-Jet in the clearing. He opened the exit. The mutants walked out of the aircraft.

"Split up and search for him," Ororo said. "Call for help if you need assistance."

The group of mutants separated and began their search for the man who was perceived as a monster.


End file.
